104th Austral Wheelrace - IM

Melbourne, Australia, February 23, 2002

Austral goes to Tasmanian Young-gun

By Karen Forman In Melbourne

Tasmanian Darren Young rode from scratch to wrench the 2002 Bicycle
Superstore Austral Wheelrace out of the strong hands of some very esteemed
rivals in the fastest 2000m handicap time yet recorded on the boards
of Melbourne's Vodafone Arena, tonight.

The 26-year-old from Davenport, who has recently moved to Melbourne
to concentrate his training on point scores and madisons, beat fellow
Tasmanian Andrew Loft (140m), two times Olympic gold medallist Shane
Kelly from South Australia (scratch) and Kial Stewart (30) of the ACT
to win Australia's oldest and most distinguished wheel race in front
of a near capacity, wildly cheering crowd.

It was something of a disappointing result for Kelly, however, who had
been given 5/2 odds by bookmakers and was ready for a win after consistent
seconds in the recent Forges Stores and Leongatha wheel races.

An elated and obviously surprised Young said on the podium he had found
the race an especially tough one.

"This was my first Austral and I came out and won it," he said. "And
to come out and win it with people like Shane Kelly there ... that was
even better. I never expected this. Not tonight, anyway."

Young, no stranger to decent wheel race results in Tasmania (he has
won all but one of the big name events) had slipped into the final with
a third place in the seventh of the eight Austral heats, behind Footscray
rider Joel Leonard (30m) and Stewart.

The quickest yet of the heats - it was run in 2.09.716 - it had represented
something of an elite gathering, pitting world keirin champion Ryan
Bayley against visiting USA rider Mike Tillman and Skilled Geelong Bay
Classic B grade stage winner Sean Finning, just 16 years of age.

"I have never seen upmarkers so organized," announcer Stewart Doyle
told the increasingly excited crowd.

Had the heat been a little longer, it might have gone to World keirin
champion Ryan Bayley from Western Australia, who performed a colossal
turn of pace, showing incredible form as he pulled the backmarkers forward
with his distinctive, slow to wind-up but fast pedaling, style.

It was Bayley who led the back bunch through the leaders once the group
became one, only to be pipped close to the post by Young, who flew around
the outside with Kial Stewart and Leonard.

Having had such a close run in his heat, Young hadn't rated himself
a chance in the final.

"Two years ago I would have said, yes, that maybe I was a chance," he
said, on the podium. "But now I am in training for the madison and pointscore
and am looking at different things."

He conceded that maybe he had been a little more confident at the start,
"but not with 20 metres to go".

"I knew Shane (Kelly) was there all the time, then with 100 to go I
saw him creeping up. After that I gave myself no chance at all. It was
very hard to get onto his wheel."

Riders were spread from scratch, shared by Young and Kelly, out to
the 220 metre mark occupied by Shepparton rider, Glen Bush, but within
seconds of the gun, they had organized themselves into three hard-working
groups.

With four laps to go they were two groups; then came the smooth-as-silk
team time trial of Leonard, last year's winner Mark French, Stewart,
Young and Kelly.

Chelsea and Peninsula Cycling Club rider David Coultas, riding off 100
metres, flew around the outside with two laps to go, gaining two lengths
on Loft, who had been leading.

Then, in a flash of the eyes as the field passed the post, Young emerged
the winner.

"To have won the Austral - wow!" he said. "Obviously it is the biggest
race. I have joined all the greats - like Stephen Pate."

Maybe it was just the next obvious step. As he said, he has won every
other major wheel race in Tasmania, apart from Latrobe. And there were
his World Cup and Goodwill Games appearances to add credit.

He will follow his Austral success with a bid for the upcoming madisons
- with American partner Jamie Kearns at Bendigo and newly crowned Victorian
madison champ Brett Aitken at the Australian championships at Vodafone
in a fortnight.

Action and atmosphere

The Austral final was the highlight, but the event was still just
one part of an action-packed night that kept its all-important crowd
entertained with Australian record attempts, trick BMX riding displays
and the presentation of life membership by Cyclesport Victoria to Ian
"Dusty" Hay.

It was made all the more atmospheric with the addition of a European
style in-field dining facility on a raised stage inside the track
and a much appreciated bar.

The action was on from the start of the night. In the first event,
the Australian Abalone Exports Victorian M 19 scratch race (60 laps),
this meant a crash involving four riders - Andrew Rix of Bendigo,
Ron Crawford of Tasmania, Dylan Newell of Brunswick and Brad O'Nial
of Echuca-Moama.

Nobody was seriously hurt and Sean Finning of Castlemaine was the
winner.

The Mavic Olympic Sprint was fast and furious between eventual winners
Ryan Bayley, Darren Young and Jobie Dajka and their opponents Shane
Kelly, Shaun Collins and Kial Stewart.

With both teams relatively evenly matched, the team led by World
Keirin Champion Bayley gathered momentum on the last lap, with Bayley's
famous long wind up in a small gear gelling in time for the line.

The first heat of the Austral was very fast. It was won by Richard
England of St Kilda Cycling Club off 120m after he set the pace most
of the way, with Peter Trigar of Brunswick off 150 second and Jerard
Glennon of Warnambool getting up from 155 to win his way into the
final in third place.

The second heat was even quicker - 2.12.185. Here the backmarkers
got up quickly - David Coultas off 100m, Brad O'Nial off 180 and Ian
Smith off 210.

It was, however, an unfortunate finish for Carnegie rider Andrew
Shannon, who hit the boards after crossing the line, losing some skin
and injuring his shoulder and requiring some treatment from ambulance
officers.

He was wheeled off on a trolley with painkillers and a sling on his
left arm.

The third heat happened in 2.12.743 and was a case of the backmarkers
getting up early. Hamish Taylor of Northcote made a break with two
to go but was swallowed up by the three placegetters who finished
ahead of the bunch, together.

A commendable ride by Queensland visitor James Schneider, who pushed
hard but couldn't quite get into the top three as he had hoped.

The fourth heat was the fastest so far, raced in 2.10.591.

Here, three groups became two then finally one with Damien Kierl
breaking away with two to go and holding a good lead to win his way
to the final ahead of Brett Richardson off 205 and Glen Bush of Shepparton
off 220.

In the fifth heat, Colin Morris (off 210) took the lead of the race,
with three groups jostling for supremacy behind him.

Decker did a good turn of pace, after getting up from 60 metres and
forcing the pace.

With two to go, Adrian Morrisby (170) attacked and tried to keep
the back markers away, with Decker trying hard to close the gap. The
race was won by Morrisby in 2.12.478.

Cameron Wise off 190 was second and Decker off 60, third.

The sixth heat had last year's winner Mark French of Carnegie off
30 metres - the furthest out.

Backmarkers worked strongly together, well organized and appearing
threatening. A touch of four wheels almost had the bunch down in the
frontmarkers, but Laurie Noonan had other ideas. French was the only
backmarker to get through.

In a tight finish, the winner was Tasmanian Brendon Geale in 2.13.090,
ahead of Daniel Cutting of Tasmania off 50, with French slipping into
third place.

Appearing for the first time in months in the Malvern Star Womens
scratch race of 15 laps was Olympic medallist Michelle Ferris, along
with Narelle Peterson, the first Australian woman to clinch a world
junior championship, who is making a comeback this season, and the
sister of keirin champion Ryan Bayley, Kristine, who has been showing
that whatever big brother can do, so can she, around the tracks of
late.

Ferris led the pack out from the bell with a strong Bayley on her
wheel, but was too strong, winning in 5.09.41 - the fastest scratch
race seen here for women for some time.

Equally exciting was the Giant Bicycles Aces Sprint Derby, finalized
in an incredible time of 10.968.

Ryan Bayley held first position throughout the event and managed
to hold off attacks from Kelly and Dajka - who came through to fight
wheel for wheel in the final lap - to win by half a wheel.

The Aces Keirin Final produced a long awaited win for Kelly, ahead of Dajka
and Gavin White, pushing out Bayley, who had been in great form throughout the
night.

Bananaman - Fast
becoming famous - if for little else than the fact he had his name changed
by Deed Poll - Victoria's Banana Man and his distinctive bike, on track at
the Austral. (He even has tiny bananas tattoed on his calves!)

Shane Kelly
missed out on the Austral this year, but had some gratification in winning
the Aces Keirin Final, ahead of Jobie Dajka and world keirin champion, Ryan
Bayley.

Volunteers -
where would an event be without them to help keep things rolling? Austral
night volunteers take it easy before a busy night on the track.

History

The first Austral Wheel Race was organised in 1887 by the Melbourne Bicycle
Club. The race was run over a distance of 3 miles (4800 metres) and was held
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It had a first prize of a grand piano valued
at 200 pounds (Sterling). Today it is Australia's oldest and most distinguished
wheel race.

Other Melbourne venues to host the "Austral" have been the Exhibition
Track, the North Essendon Board Track, the Olympic Park Velodrome and
the Brunswick, Coburg and Northcote velodromes.

The 1901 event gained notoriety when the American, "Plugger" Bill
Martin won from scratch, amid cries from the Press of alleged race fixing
involving the infamous Melbourne identity, John Wren.

The massive amount of 1050 Sovereigns was the allocated prize money
for the 1902 event. However, the Austral wasn't always a great success
story. One of its lowest points came in the late 1970's, when just $1500
was on offer.

There was a resurgence in 1982 when the prize money was lifted to
$5000 plus sponsors products.

The present level of prize money has now exceeded $18,000 at recent
stagings of this prestigious wheelrace.

Past
winners

Many famous names appear on the "Austral" honour roll. World Champions,
Gordon Johnson (1973) and Steele Bishop (1982) ,both had the distinction
of winning from scratch. Jack Fitzgerald won from scratch in 1922. Tassie
Johnson (1944) won from 30 yards. The great Sid Patterson (1962 and1964)
and Laurie Venn (1979 and 1981) have both won the event twice from scratch.

Tasmanian, Danny Clark, has had three wins off the scratch mark, in
1977, 1986 and 1990 However, the record now belongs to the consistent
Victorian all rounder, Stephen Pate with four victories, in 1988 from
scratch, in 1991 from -10 metres, in 1993 from -20 metres and his most
recent 1999 win, from scratch.

In 2000, Gary Neiwand one of Australia's greatest sprinters, was liberally
handicapped on 70 metres for the millennium edition of the event, and
won comfortably.